# US 12,184,329 B2 · Wavelength-division multiplexing visible-light communication and lighting device and method

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- Number: US 12,184,329 B2
- Document ID: US12184329B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/792,280
- Filed: 2021-01-06
- Published: 2023-02-16
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2020-01-13
- Assignees: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
- Applicants: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
- Inventors: Boon S. Ooi; Omar Alkhazragi; Tien Khee Ng
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12184329B2

## CPC

- H04B 10/116: Visible light communication
- H04B 10/2519: using Bragg gratings
- H04B 10/614: {comprising one or more polarization beam splitters, e.g. polarization multiplexed [PolMux] X-PSK coherent receivers, polarization diversity heterodyne coherent receivers (H04J14/06 takes precedence)}
- H04B: TRANSMISSION

## Abstract

A visible-light communication and illumination array includes a substrate and plural surface-emitting superluminescent diodes, SLDs, distributed across the substrate. A first set of SLDs of the plural SLDs generates a first light beam having substantially a first wavelength, a second set of SLDs of the plural SLDs generates a second light beam having substantially a second wavelength, and a third set of SLDs of the plural SLDs generates a third light beam having substantially a third wavelength. The array further includes a controller configured to encode at least one of the first light beam, the second light beam and the third light beam to transmit information. A combination of the first light beam, the second light beam and the third light beam produces white light.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A visible-light communication and illumination array comprising:
a substrate;
plural surface-emitting superluminescent diodes, SLDs, distributed across the substrate, wherein a first set of SLDs of the plural SLDs generates a first light beam having substantially a first wavelength, a second set of SLDs of the plural SLDs generates a second light beam having substantially a second wavelength, and a third set of SLDs of the plural SLDs generates a third light beam having substantially a third wavelength; and
a controller configured to encode at least one of the first light beam, the second light beam and the third light beam to transmit information,
wherein a combination of the first light beam, the second light beam and the third light beam produces white light, and
wherein an SLD of the plural SLDs includes an active layer, which generates light, the active layer is sandwiched between first and second separate confinement heterostructure (SCH) layers, and a length L of the active layer is smaller than a length of each of the first and second SCH layers.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The array of claim 1, wherein the first light beam is blue, the second light beam is red, and the third light beam is green.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The array of claim 1, wherein each SLD device of the plural SLDs devices generates a same wavelength.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The array of claim 3, wherein the wavelength is blue.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The array of claim 3, wherein each SLD device of the second and third sets of SLD devices has a corresponding phosphor material for transforming the generated wavelength into an emitted wavelength, which is different from the generated wavelength.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The array of claim 5, wherein the SLD devices of the first set of SLD devices has no phosphor material.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The array of claim 6, wherein the SLD devices of the second set have a phosphor material that transforms blue light into red light.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The array of claim 7, wherein the SLD devices of the third set have a phosphor material that transforms blue light into green light.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The array of claim 1, wherein the plural SLD devices are grouped to form light generating units, each light generating unit including only one SLD device from each of the first to third sets, to form a display.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The array of claim 1, further comprising:
a lens formed over a surface generating light of each of the plural SLD devices, to change a propagation direction of the first to third light beams relative to a generated light, so that each of the first to third light beams advances along a different direction to achieve spatial division multiplexing.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The array of claim 1, wherein a distance D between two adjacent first and second SLD devices of the plural SLDs devices is adjusted to minimize optical crosstalk, such that the distance D is a sum of a first wavelength emitted by the first SLD device and a second wavelength emitted by the second SLD device, or twice the larger wavelength emitted.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The array of claim 1, wherein each SLD device includes:
the active layer including at least one pair of quantum wells;
a top distributed Bragg reflector formed on one of the first and second SCH layers; and
a bottom distributed Bragg reflector formed on another one of the first and second SCH layers,
wherein the active layer has lateral current confinement.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The array of claim 12, wherein the bottom distributed Bragg reflector includes porous layers.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The array of claim 1, further comprising:
a lens placed in front of a surface generating light of each of the plural SLD devices, to collimate the generated light.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The array of claim 14, wherein the array is a transmitter in an imaging MIMO system that uses an array of photodetectors to receive information.

### Claim 16

A surface-emitting superluminescent diode, SLD, configured to generate a blue light, the SLD comprising:
an active layer including at least one pair of quantum wells;
two separate confinement heterostructure (SCH) layers sandwiching the active layer;
a top distributed Bragg reflector formed on one of the two SCH layers; and
a bottom distributed Bragg reflector formed on another one of the two SCH layers,
wherein the active layer, which generates the blue light, has a lateral current confinement by having a length L smaller than a length of each of the two SCH layers.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The SLD of claim 16, wherein the bottom distributed Bragg reflector includes porous layers.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The SLD of claim 16, further comprising:
a phosphor material formed directly on the top distributed Bragg reflector and configured to change the blue light to green light or red light.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The SLD of claim 18, further comprising:
a lens formed over the phosphor material to change a propagation direction of the emitted light.

### Claim 20

A method for obtaining visible-light communication and illumination, the method comprising:
receiving information from an external server;
generating white light with a visible-light communication and illumination array, wherein the visible-light communication and illumination array includes plural surface-emitting superluminescent diodes, SLDs, distributed across a substrate, wherein a first set of SLDs of the plural SLDs generates a first light beam having substantially a first wavelength, a second set of SLDs of the plural SLDs generates a second light beam having substantially a second wavelength, and a third set of SLDs of the plural SLDs generates a third light beam having substantially a third wavelength;
encoding at least one of the first to third light beams, with a controller, to transmit the information; and
broadcasting the information simultaneously with illuminating with the white light,
wherein a combination of the first light beam, the second light beam and the third light beam produces the white light, and
wherein an SLD of the plural SLDs includes an active layer, which generates light, the active layer is sandwiched between first and second separate confinement heterostructure (SCH) layers, and a length L of the active layer is smaller than a length of each of the first and second SCH layers.